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The opening of the Musee
d'Orsay is a major development in the
history ofFrench museums. The natio-
—
nal collections from the middle of
the 19th century to the early years of
—
the 20th up till now split between
the Louvre, the Jeu de Paume, the
Palais de Tokyo and other museums are
brought together for the first time in
this marvellous building that was once
the Gare d'Orsay.
The collections provide a unique
perspective ofthat extraordinarily rich
and often contradictory period of art
history. From Ingres, Delacroix, Corot
in their later years to the early years of
Matisse and fauvism, the museum
shows an exceptional range ofthe offi-
—
cial art of the period from eclecti-
cism to naturalism and symbolism
together with the major innovations of
the impressionists, post-impressionists
and Nabis. The collections are by no
means limited to French painting and
you will find Whistler alongside
Manet, Klimt and Munch alongside
Bonnard.
Michel Laclotte, Inspecteur gene-
ral des Musees de France, responsible
for the painting collection ofthe Musce
d'Orsay since 1978, retraces the history
of the collections and explains the
chronological reasoning behind the
museum, while his colleagues describe
the development of painting during
this astonishing period.
©
1986 Scala Publications Ltd
© SPADEM 1986 : Paul Serusier, ClaudeMonet, Emile Bernard, Felix Vallotton,
Pierre Bonnard, Giovanni Boldini, Maurice Denis, Aristide Maillol, Aman Jean,
Alfons Mucha, Ker-Xavier Roussel, Edouard Vuillard, Maximilien Luce
© ADAGP 1986 Pierre Bonnard, Marie Cassatt, Albert Marquet, James Ensor
:
First published in 1986 by Scala Publications Ltd,
26, Litchfield Street, London WC2H 9NJ
Distributed in the US by Scala Books, c/o Harper & Row,
10, East 53rd Street, New York, NY-10022
All rights reserved. Nopartofthecontentsofthisbook maybereproducedwithout
the written permission of the publisher.
Design Maxence Scherf
:
Translation from the French Anthony Roberts
:
Photos : Reunion des musees nationaux - Paris
Produced by Editions Scala - Paris
Printed in France
LC 86-50735
ISBN 0-935748-72-5 (US)
ISBN 0-85667-228-9 (UK)
Front cover Edouard Manet, Le Balcon
:
Back cover : Frederic Bazille, L'Atelier de la rue de la Condamine
Contents
Introduction
Michel Laclotte 5
Eclecticism and Realism
Genevieve Lacambre 13
Impressionism
Claire Frecbes-Thory Anne Distel 53
f
Post-Impressionism
Claire Frecbes-Thory 85
Naturalism and Symbolism
Genevieve Lacambre 125
After 1900
Claire Frecbes-Thory 14/
Index 158
PrintedinFrance
atAubin Poitiers
PhotogravureScala Italie
Depotlegal 4"tnmestre 1986
Painting
Musee Or
in the d' say
Michel Laclotte
Inspecteur general des Musees
Genevieve Lacambre
Conservateur en chef au musee d'Orsay
Anne
Distel
Conservateur au musee d'Orsay
Claire Freches-Thory
Conservateur au musee d'Orsay
Scala Books
Distributed by Harper & Row, Publishers
Introduction
The Musee d'Orsay offers a broad panorama oflate 19th and early 20th
century art. In addition its programme of temporary exhibitions, concerts
and audiovisual events lends itselfto all forms ofinterdisciplinary encounters,
stressing the complexity ofan epoch which was incomparably rich in artistic
experience and variety. To avoid confusion and surfeit, the planning of the
museum's permanent exhibition rooms is clearly based on distinctions bet-
ween techniques and modes ofexpression hence, it is easy enough to plan
;
and describe a general tour ofthe museum, linking the various display rooms
while identifying each in a separate way. The aim of this book is to define
such a tour, and at the same time to offer a history ofpainting from about
1850 to the early years of our own century, as illustrated by the collections
of the Musee d'Orsay.
Before we go into the history of these collections, we should perhaps
explain the timespan covered by the museum's programmes. This timespan
is circumscribed by the Louvre on one side and the Musee national d'Art
moderne on the other.
The latter borderline is one that obtrudes quite naturally, ie. the Musee
d'Orsay ends where the Musee d'Art moderne begins, in the tumultuous
years of 1904-1907 which saw the birth ofa completely new pictorial language
in fauvism and expressionism, schools which were themselves nurtured by
the post-impressionist experience prior to the stunning challenge of the
Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907). One might add that these years also saw radical
changes in architecture and design, with the decline of Art Nouveau as a
standard; for example, the Wienerwerkstatte were created post 1903.
It was less easy, however, to determine a preliminary date for a cut-off
within the monolithic 19th century. 1863, the year ofthe Salon des Refuses,
has sometimes been quoted as a suitable juncture but in fact 1863 was only
;
really important in terms of French painting, and represents no break in
continuity where the other arts are concerned. A further step backward to
include the romantic period, which was another possibility, would have re-
quired more hanging space than the Musee d'Orsay could supply (in par-
ticular for huge canvases like those of Gericault, Delacroix and the
Louis-Philippe painters). Thus the decision was taken to set the museum's
early limit at 1848-1850, a time which was redolent ofchange in every sphere
and not only in the political, economic and social ones.
This time-frame contains the public recognition ofMillet and Courbet,
and with them of "realism", at the Salons of 1849 and 1850-1855 the foun-
;
dation of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in 1848 and the construction of
;
the Crystal Palace (1850-51) and the Nouveau Louvre (from 1852 onwards).
The essential role ofthe first universal exhibitions (London, 1851, Paris, 1855)
in the development ofhistoric eclecticism and the confrontation between art
and industry was yet another aspect that marked a fundamental mid-century
renewal in every area of artistic creativity.
In order to mitigate the arbitrary effect of this cut-off date, a certain
amount of transitional leeway has been allowed. The first exhibition rooms
contain a few later works by great artists of 1800-1850 who continued to be
active and influential in succeeding years. These include Ingres and his school,
Delacroix, Chasseriau, Corot, Rousseau and the Barbizon landscape painters,
the bulk ofwhose production nonetheless remains in the Louvre. Likewise,
the end of the period makes a brief allusion to fauvism, the development
ofwhich is taken up fully in the first "chapter" ofthe Musee d'Art moderne.
The principal source ofthe collectionswhich are today assembled at the
Musee d'Orsay was the Musee du Luxembourg, founded in 1818 by
Louis XVIII to house "the paintings and sculptures ofthe modern school".
Until the creation ofthe Musee national d'Art moderne in 1937, the Musee
du Luxembourg contained a selection of state-owned works of art by living
artists. The rule was that after the death of an artist "whose merit was en-
dorsed by universal acclaim", his work would receive the supreme honour
of entering the Louvre, after a period of purgatory which varied according
to the times.
Hence the Musee du Luxembourg for years represented official taste,
its only sources being the Salons ; and the Salons in turn were the only vehicles
by which an artist could make his work known to the public, on condition
that he were admitted to them. In reaction to a period ofopenness to living
art (Delacroix and Ingres were exhibited side by side from 1824 onwards),
the criteria ofselection narrowed considerably in the mid-19th century. After
a liberal hiatus in 1848-1851, when Corot, Theodore Rousseau, Rosa Bonheur
and Antigna were finally admitted (while Courbet's Apres-diner a Ornans
was acquired for the Musee de Lille), the Musee du Luxembourg reverted
to a more limited view ofcontemporary art. This was personified by the more
innocuous landscape artists, and history and genre painters ofreliable eclec-
tic quality. Excluded, ofcourse, were the strongest representatives ofrealism
:
the absence, in their lifetimes, of Courbet and Millet demonstrated a nar-
rowness ofoutlook which naturally devolved on to the younger school head-
ed by Manet.
Despite the efforts ofits remarkable curator, Philippe de Chennevieres,
who became director of the Beaux-Arts in 1873 (after trying in vain to ac-
quire Courbet's masterpiece, he Combat de cerfs in 1861), the Luxembourg
remained firmly opposed to new ideas throughout the 1870's and 1880's,
although the purchase of works by Millet (1875), Diaz (1877), Daubigny
(1878) finally introduced some of the great older painters who had been
neglected or by passed.
The posthumous rehabilitation ofCorot, Courbet, Millet and the Bar-
bizon painterswas carried out at the Louvre, its first manifestation being the
acquisition ofa number ofCourbets at auction, and the gift ofhis Enterre-
menta Ornans by his sister. After this, the museum was presented with private
donations ofvery fine works (Millet's Printemps, given by Mme Hartmann
in 1887, andLes G/aneuses, given by Mme Pommery in 1880 when the artist's
popularity was at its height), along with several complete collections.
The Louvre was also enriched by the collection ofThorny Thiery, an art
lover from Mauritius who had taken up residence in France. This copious
and immaculately chosen group ofpaintings includes works by the Barbizon
masters, as well as Corot and Delacroix. Rather than break up the unity of
the ensemble, it was decided that the Thiery collection should be kept intact
at the Louvre and not moved to the Musee d'Orsay; in any case, most of
the artists represented belong to the Louvre's allotted timespan. The presence
of a few artists who properly belong in the Musee d'Orsay (such as Millet
and Daubigny) will enable visitors to the Louvre to establish the necessary
